Couillard government set to deliver final budget

Quebecwill deliver its provincial budget on March 27.

It will be the fifth andfinal budget for PremierPhilippe Couillard's government under its current mandate. A provincial election must be held no later than October.

After consecutive years of fiscalfat-trimmingthat drew the ire of public sector workers and unions, the Liberal government slowly brought the province back in the black and started to open the spending taps again in key sectors like health and education in 2016.

In fact, a surplus realised last year, spurred on by a healthy economy and guardedspending,left the government with cash to spare. At the November fiscal update,Finance Minister CarlosLeitoannounced new annual tax relief measures for individuals and families.

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But don't expect any more incentivescoming this budget.

In January, Couillardsaid he doesn't plan onreducing personal taxes further because the province has already made efforts to cut them.

Thegovernment has hinted that it willoffer some tax relief to small- and medium-sized businesses.

Couillard said hisadministrationwillbe "cautious'' while maintaining fiscal and financial responsibility. It will also work to continue paying down the province's debt, which stood at 51.9 per cent of the GDP in March 2017.

The government has committed to reducing the gross debt to45 per cent of GDP by 2026.